Tigers Option Crosby to Triple-A Toledo

And then there were four.

Andy Oliver, Duane Below, Drew Smyly and Adam Wilk remain the final four fighting for the fifth spot in the Tigers rotation.

The Detroit Tigers brass met earlier today and officially decided to option southpaw starting pitcher Casey Crosby to Triple-A Toledo.

"“Casey Crosby has, to me, as high of a ceiling as anybody we’ve got in camp, [of the] Minor League guys,” manager Jim Leyland said. “He’s a potential blue-chipper.”“We said, ‘Let’s get him [in Minor League camp], because innings are going to be scarce here,'” Leyland said."

This spring Crosby appeared in three games, logging 5 2/3 innings. He struggled a bit with command and control, walking six and surrendering a half dozen hits. Don’t be mistaken though; beyond the grotesque, small sample size of data lies an impressive prospect. Earlier this month he was kind enough to answer some of our questions in an interview. He’s aware that a couple elements of his game need polishing. More importantly, Crosby is putting in the work to perfect his craft so he’s prepared when they decide to call his name.

Crosby was a dark horse candidate for both the rotation and the bullpen. At the end of the day, some seasoning in nearby Toledo will be beneficial for the 23-year-old. Not a tremendous surprise that he’ll start the year as a Mud Hen. However, if I’m a betting man, I think we’ll see Crosby in Detroit at some point this season.

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